Graffiti threatens Slifka with arson

Graffiti that appeared to threaten the Slifka Center with arson was discovered on a wall at the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, according to a campus-wide email sent by University Vice President Linda Lorimer.

The graffiti was discovered on a bathroom wall of the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory on April 22 and appeared to threaten arson at the Slifka Center on May 16. Yale police, who discovered the graffiti, promptly opened an investigation involving University officials, New Haven police, the FBI and the Connecticut chapter of the Anti-Defamation league, according to Lorimer.

Since the graffiti was found, security around the center has been increased, and visitors will be required to show identification at certain times when entering the building, according to an email to the Slifka community from David Rafael, the interim executive director of the Slifka Center.

Rafael said that the center plans to move forward with all plans surrounding senior week, Commencement and the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

“Difficult times can serve to remind us of our many blessings,” he wrote in the email. “Slifka Center is fortunate to be a vibrant hub of Jewish and interfaith life within a welcoming community, in which incidents such as this one are very rare.”